Broly: The New Normal
by BoomerangChicken
Summary: After a lifetime of isolation and loneliness, Broly attempts to adjust to his new life, and move past the pain of his old one.
1. Sweet Dreams

Broly screamed.

He thrashed wildly as hands wrapped tight around his limbs, holding him suspended in the air.

"I thought you gave him the sedative!"

"I did!"

Broly managed to yank an arm free and drive his elbow into the gut of the Saiyan closest to him. A pained groan, and then the other hand turned loose.

Without the support on his arms, he fell to the floor.

Broly reached forward to the hands wrapped around his legs. He grabbed two fingers and bent them backwards. He felt the bones snap, and heard the scream of pain. The hands turned loose.

He got to his feet to run, but before he had the chance, a knee slammed into his back, driving him face-down into the floor.

A heavy weight settled on his back. He couldn't move. He lashed out with his hands and feet.

"Somebody grab his tail!"

Hands wrapped around his ankles, ceasing their movement.

Fingers pulled on the tail curled around Broly's waist.

He struggled harder.

His tail was grabbed, and then squeezed.

Broly went still.

The room went quiet.

"Where's the sedative? Give it to me."

Broly winced as he felt something sharp pierce his skin.

"That should do it. Give it a minute."

After a moment, Broly slowed his breathing, and let his eyes fall shut.

"Did it work?"

"I don't know. Check him."

A finger lifted his eyelid.

"Yeah, I think he's out."

"Then we need to-"

The hand gripped tight on Broly's tail loosed.

"No! Don't let go-"

Broly's eyes shot open. He bit down on the hand in front of his face. A scream shattered the silence as blood spilled into his mouth.

His tail was wrenched hard, and his body seized in pain. His jaw clamped down harder. The scream got louder.

They all started shouting again.

"Get him off! Get him off me!!"

"The sedative! Hit him again!"

Broly felt the sting of his skin being pierced for a second time. His vision became fuzzy, and his head felt light.Hands pryed open his jaw.

"That was enough sedative to put down three full-grown saiyans! And he's just a child! What is he?!"

"It's like we said, He's dangerous. That's the whole reason we're doing this. Orders from King Vegeta."

"Look at what he did to my hand!! You little bastard!!"

Broly gasped as a boot slammed into his ribs.

"That's enough! We're done. Put some gear on him, stick him in a pod, and get him out of here."

Broly's vision swam and flickered. He struggled to keep his eyes open. He heard one last word, spit out in disgust.

"Freak."

And then everything went black as a boot was driven into his skull.

* * *

Broly wakes in the pod. His head throbbed. Nausea sickened his stomach. The interior was bathed in red.

He loses consciousness.

* * *

The pod rattled and shook. Broly woke again just as it cratered into the ground.

The pod settled and stilled. It crackled with electricity, damaged. It let out a mechanical hiss as it opened.

His nose wrinkled up as the acrid, bitter smell of the air hit him.

His eyes squinting as bright light poured into the pod.

His eyes opened wider as they adjusted.

The first thing he sees is the moon, hung in the sky. He stares at it.

His heart throbs violently. And again. And again. It beats wildly in his chest, feeling as if it's struggling to burst free.

He gasps for breath as agony shoots through him. He claws at the armor on his chest.

He curls in on himself as his vision tints red.

He can feel his bones breaking and reforming, reshaping. He can hear them snapping.

Blood fills his mouth as his teeth grow and burst through his gums. His jaw dislocates.

An agonized scream tears its way out of his throat as he transforms.

He can hear someone speaking. A voice, cutting through the roar in his head, saying his name.

"Broly!"

* * *

His whole body jerks up as he comes awake.

Cheelai stumbles backwards, startled.

"Whoa! Easy!"

Sweat pours off his body as he trembles and gasps for breath. His heart thuds painfully as he grasps at his chest.

He can feel the cold, hard ground beneath him. That particular, unmistakable smell. He's in the cave on Vampa. He's home.

It's dark, and cold. Sometime in the night.

Cheelai lowers to the ground next to him. She reaches out to touch his shoulder cautiously.

He feels her small hand on him.

"Hey. You alright?"

He doesn't answer. She tries again.

"Bad dream, huh?"

She doesn't expect him to answer. It takes a moment, but he does.

"Bad memories."

Cheelai's face contorts in sympathy. She rubs her hand over his arm.

"You want to talk about it?"

His silence is answer enough.

"Okay, that's fine."

His breathing calms.

The near complete silence in the cave is practically defeaning.

Her hand stills on his arm. She brings it back awkwardly. She looks away, towards the mouth of the cave. His voice startles her, and she turns back to look at him.

"I am sorry."

Her face draws up in confusion.

"Uhhhh. What for?"

He lifts his head to look at her

"For waking you."

She shakes her hands back and forth.

"Oh! For that. Nah, don't worry about it. I'm a light-sleeper, anyways."

That was a lie. She was in fact a very deep sleeper, and had been practically comatose right up until his blood-curdling scream shocked her into consciousness. She had run outside, as fast as she could. Still in her thin, not very warm sleep clothes.

She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself.

"Look, it's pretty much freezing out here. How about you come inside the house? I know you said you didn't want to sleep in there, but it's warm. And the beds may not be great, but I'm positive they're better than the ground out here."

Broly shook his head.

"I am used to it."

Her face fell.

"Well. Okay, then. I guess."

She rocked on her feet for a moment, debating what to do. Then she stood up.

"If you change your mind, let me know."

Broly nodded.

Cheelai sighed and started walking back to the capsule house.

She stopped and turned as she got to the door. She opened her mouth to speak. No words came out.

He watched her patiently.

She closed her mouth and shook her head.

"Nevermind. Sleep well."

She smiled at him.

He returned it, smaller, but no less genuine.

She opened the door and stepped inside. The door closed behind her.

He let out a breath. Moved himself to sit up against the wall of the cave.

A few minutes passed as he sat in the dark and cold, still and quiet of the cave.

Exhaustion consumed him. His eyes slid closed against his will.

Bloody screams and broken bones flashed in his head.

His eyes snapped open. He dug his fingers painfully into his leg. His eyes stayed open.

He stared at the door.


	2. Chapter 2

The boot nudging at his shoulder woke him. His eyes cracked open blearily. His father, standing above him. He was barely visible in the dark of early morning.

"Get up. We're training later, and you need your strength."

His father pressed a hunk of meat into his hands before he turned and walked away. Broly took a bite and watched the retreating back of his father. The meat was cold, bitter. It left a foul taste in his mouth, even once he'd swallowed it.

It was time to begin the day .

The smell of food hit his nose. His eyes cracked open. Daylight blazed through the mouth of the cave.

The smell was coming from inside the house.

He sat up.

Lemo hummed to himself as he moved around the small kitchen area, preparing breakfast. Stirring and flipping, seasoning.

He stilled, his head turning left and right as he patted the pockets on the apron he was wearing. He turned around and slammed into a wall of muscle. He let out a high-pitched shriek as he startled backwards.

"Agh! I told you to quit sneaking up on me like that. Announce yourself when you walk in a room, please."

"I am sorry."

Lemo shook it off and snagged the item he was searching for off the counter before he turned back around to focus on the food. "Ah, it's okay. You've got good timing. Breakfast is almost ready. Go on, have a seat."

Broly pulled out a chair at the small dining table and sat to watch Lemo as he dutifully prepared their meal.

"So, did you get a good night's sleep?"

_Fingers bent backwards, jaw dislocating, bloody screams_

Broly shifted his eyes away from Lemo as he lied. "Yes."

The sound of a door creaking open caught both of their attentions.

Cheelai rubbed at her eyes as she shuffled out of the bedroom. Her hair was stuck up in many different directions. It appeared she had been electrocuted. She moved past Lemo slowly but intently, with half-open eyes, straight to the coffee pot.

"You know, ever since you got your hands on that stuff, you haven't gone one morning without it. I'm starting to think it's addictive."

Cheelai didn't take her eyes off the filling cup when she replied.

"I can stop anytime I want. This is a choice."

Lemo's disbelieving snort disagreed.

She picked it up and inhaled the aroma, closing her eyes as she took the first sip.

She shuffled over to sit at the table.

Lemo brought three plates to the table. The moment Broly's plate was in front of him, he grabbed up a handful and stuffed it in his mouth.

Cheelai's voice stopped him.

"Dude. Look, I realize, considering how and where you grew up, that your food running away from you may have been a legitimate issue for you. But that stuff on the plate isn't going anywhere, it's dead. So, take your time, savor it. And take smaller bites, before you choke to death."

Broly stared at her for a moment, mouth full and cheeks distended. Then he spit the food out, back onto the plate. He picked up a smaller, partially chewed up bite and put it in his mouth.

Cheelai's eyes went wide, and her face wrinkled in disgust. She rubbed at the bridge of her nose. "Ughh, it's too early for regurgitation."

Lemo let out a little chuckle, and Cheelai glared at him.

Broly spaced out, watching them bicker. He picked up another piece of food and chewed it thoughtfully. A nice feeling settled in his chest. He didn't know why, but something about this moment felt...so peaceful. He wished it could stay this way forever, but the sharp spike of fear at the back of his neck said that it wouldn't last.

He was drawn out of his thoughts as Cheelai stood up from the table.

"I'm not ready to eat yet. I feel disgusting, and I'm going to take a shower. Don't burn the house down while I'm busy."

Lemo grinned up at her. "We'll try our best."

Cheelai rolled her eyes and groaned. "That's not a very confidence-inspiring answer..."

Broly flipped through one of Cheelai's magazine's. The words didn't make much sense, but the pictures were intriguing.

Then he felt it.

Broly stilled.

Lemo noticed from his place at the sink as he washed dishes. "What is it?"

Broly looked to the door as he spoke.

"Kakarot."

Broly rose to his feet and opened the door. Kakarot stood on the other side, fist raised to knock. He grinned brightly. "Ready to train?"

Broly looked back over his shoulder. The cave was barely visible from here. They'd moved to a flat spot where nothing was in danger of getting damaged. He turned back around at the sound of Kakarot's voice. Kakarot stretched as he spoke.

"Okay, today we're going to be working on your defense. So, I want you to raise your power. Take it as high as you can go without losing it."

Broly shut his eyes and squared his shoulders as he did as he was asked.

Goku watched him as his energy rose and levelled out.

"Good. You alright?"

Broly breathed out and opened his eyes.

"I am ready."

Goku shook out his hands.

"Good. Let's start."

He stepped up to Broly.

Broly caught the first punch easily.

The second one rattled his arm.

A kick aimed at his head was blocked by his arm.

The second kick slipped through his guard. Goku's boot hovered in front of Broly's chest, then lightly tapped him.

"Hit."

Goku feinted with a right and followed through with an uppercut.

His fist was stopped inches from Broly's chin.

"Hit."

Goku leapt over Broly's head and landed behind him. His elbow bumped into his back.

He heard the chuckle before Goku spoke.

"Hit."

Goku saw Broly's frustrated shrug as he took his place in front of him.

"It's fine. That's why we're working on this, so you'll get better. Alright. We go again."

Goku dropped into stance. He jumped forward and drew back his arm to strike. He lashed forward with a front kick.

Broly grabbed his ankle before it could connect. He held it suspended in the air.

Goku hopped on one leg.

"Okay! Okay. I get it. Not bad."

He moved backwards after Broly released his hold.

Goku rushed forward. His arm was drawn back to strike again, but at the last second he spun.

There was a crunch as Goku's elbow was driven into Broly's nose.

Goku winced when he felt it.

Broly staggered backwards.

"Oh! Darn, sorry! I thought you were going to block it."

Broly held his hand over his face.

Goku stepped forward and leaned in close.

"Are you alright?"

Blood pooled in Broly's hand.

Goku felt the power spike the moment Broly's eyes shot open.

His irises were yellow.

"Oh sh-"

Goku was launched backwards as Broly's boot slammed into his stomach.

He slid a little ways after he hit the ground.

Goku gasped for breathe as he clutched at his stomach.

Broly leapt into the air.

Goku rolled out of the way just before Broly's knee shattered the ground where his head was moments ago.

Goku rolled to his feet.

"Calm down, Broly! I know you don't really want to hurt me."

Broly bared his teeth and growled as he pressed his palms to the ground. The stone beneath him cracked as he shot forward.

Goku jumped into the air, spinning out as Broly clipped his legs.

Broly smashed through a rock wall.

Goku slammed into the ground.

"Ugh. Maybe he really does want to hurt me."

Rubble was sent flying as Broly blasted back through stone.

Goku took off into the air.

Broly followed.


End file.
